Cut flowers from Saxon Gate Flowers - without single use plastics

We were delighted to be the first business in Biggleswade to become a Plastic Free Business Champion

When we started growing flowers in 2021, it was very important that growing beautiful flowers would have as little impact on the environment as possible. In addition to not using pesticides, herbicides or peat-based composts, reducing our consumption of single use plastic was a no-brainer. Customers who buy our flowers appreciate that flowery beauty need not cost the earth.

We made some crucial decisions to ensure that we reduced our consumption of single-use plastics.

Specifically :

• All of our flowers are sold in plastic-free packaging. Bouquets are wrapped in pretty craft paper with paper labels and tied with natural twine. Smaller flower gifts are sold in glass vases or jam jars which can be re-used indefinitely. Flowers for florists are supplied in sturdy buckets which can be returned and re-used.

• To promote nice straight flower stems for cutting, blooms often require some physical support whilst growing. We made a conscious decision to avoid traditional plastic pea-netting which is very difficult to re-use and often gets discarded. Instead we chose Jute Pea netting, which is 100% biodegradable and compostable and can be disposed of safely at the end of its useful life.

• Wherever possible, we buy compost in bulk which avoids the use of lots of smaller plastic compost bags.

• Although we do use plastic seed trays and pots, we source better quality ones which can be re-used for many years.

Plastic free flowers sold in jam jars

Jute netting used to support beautiful Dahlias

In addition we will not use traditional floral foam, which is a single use micro-plastic containing chemicals including formaldehyde. It can only be disposed of in general waste and is known to pollute water courses.

Saxon Gate Flowers are a Plastic Free Business Champion

We were delighted to be the first business in Biggleswade to become a Plastic Free Business Champion through the Surfers Against Sewage/Plastic Free Communities network in January 2022 but remain committed to reducing our use of all plastic throughout the business.